An Unlikely Savior
by zanmato337
Summary: Prequel to For Love of a Jedi. Retelling of the KOTOR story. Ch. 3 They've reached the Lower City, but both rival gangs and a Sith with a bad attitude stand in Skye and Carth's way to finding Bastila.
1. The Endar Spire

An Unlikely Savior

Chapter 1 - The Endar Spire

The ear-splitting sound of metal ripping apart woke up Skye Kinoda. She'd been dreaming of something strangely familiar, but on awakening, couldn't remember a single detail, save for flashing red and yellow lights about a sound ten times worse than the one that woke her up. Still half asleep, she rolled out of bed and upon her landing, let loose with several choice expletives. After taking a moment to recover from her surprise meeting with the floor, she finally achieved verticality, and looked out the port window of her room. To her dismay, she saw what had woken her up, and it wasn't good. Dozens upon dozens of fighter craft were firing upon the ship. Cursing under her breath, she thought back briefly t how she wound up in this situation in the first place.

The Republic had hired her to their ranks aboard this ship to assist some Jedi -the name was escaping her at the moment- on a mission (top secret, of course) Skye could only assume would culminate in some epic showdown between a group of Sith, or perhaps Darth Malak himself. Actually, now that she thought on it, 'hired' really wasn't the proper terminology for it. More like... persuaded. After the hyperspace drive on her own ship broke down in the middle of a Republic territory with enough spice to choke a rancor, it had been either this or prison.

"And I thought this would be the better case scenario!" Skye grumbled angrily, as she opened the footlocker by her bed. "If I make it out of here, I'm going to kill that Toydarian Maator. 'Oh, I fixed it up real nice, here's the ridiculously high bill, Skye.' Fixed... I'll fix him!" Sifting past the Republic issued uniforms she had, quite merrily, not been wearing, she pulled out her own gear she'd coaxed, persuaded, and flat out whined her way into bringing on board.

First was a set of light combat gear, good enough combat protection to for most fights, but not enough bulk to keep her from making a quick escape if need be. Next, a blaster she'd picked up on her first Corellian run. It had since been outstripped by newer models, but the nostalgia, along with the various modifications Skye had made to it, kept it around. After donning the armor, and holstering the blaster, she pulled out the last two items, a stealth generator, and a long sword. The long sword might not look like much next to one of those fancy lightsabers the Jedi were so fond of, but it did its job just fine. The stealth generator was the basic model and didn't sport the sound dampeners the more advanced models did, but it worked fine in noisier locations.

Like skipping out on bar tabs in a busy bar, if one had lost all one's credits courtesy of a bad Pazaak hand, Skye thought, remembering one incident. She smirked as she put on the generator. Finishing, she turned to head out and find the nearest escape pod, just as a burly-looking blond man came rushing in. Seeing her hand move defensively to the blaster on her side, the man stopped in his tracks rather quickly.

"Whoa, easy there!" he started, taking a step back as he spoke. "I know you're on edge with the ship being attacked, but I'm on your side!" Much to his dismay, Skye's hand didn't move, continuing to hover above the blaster.

The shock of his sudden appearance wearing off, Skye recognized him as one of the crew here on the Endar Spire. She relaxed, and so did the man, who breathed a sigh of relief as she moved her hand away from the blaster. "Who are you anyway? I know you Republic types like to be heroic and all that, but if I were you, I'd have been on the first pod out of here, not chatting up women."

"Chatting up women? I-" He stalled his explanation when he saw the amused look on her face, realizing she wasn't serious on that part. Looking at her sternly, he continued. "I'm Trask, your roommate her on the Spire. But that's not important! I came to get you so we can find Bastila and get her off the ship!"

Bastila. That was it, the name of the Jedi in charge of this mission gone sour. Actually, Skye couldn't recall ever seeing her. Maybe she just stayed in her room all the time, theorizing about the Force, or whatever Jedi like to do. Or maybe she just thought herself above associating with the ungifted masses.

She shrugged; it wasn't her responsibility. "A Jedi ought to have fought their way out easily. I'm more worried about myself at the moment, thanks." She tried to leave, only to be blocked by Trask's hulking frame, as he sidestepped into her path.

"You know we swore an oath that we'd protect her, no matter what. If you back out of this, and I make it out of here alive, I can assure you the Republic won't take kindly to you."

Frowning, Skye had to admit he had her cornered. Preferable as the relatively safe Republic prisons were to being on a ship the Sith were using for target practice, no way was she going to survive this, only to be tossed in jail. "Fine, I guess we can look for her on the way out. If things get bad, well _worse_, saving my own skin comes first, alright?"

"Long as you try, that's good enough for me. We better get moving though, we don't have much time, and who knows how many Sith are already onboard?"

Nodding, Skye left the room, Trask taking up the rear. Moving through the smoke-filled hallway, they passed a broken utility droid, which suddenly beeped. At least that's what Skye thought, until Trask pulled out a small device, a personal communicator. Noticing it was coming from her as well, she checked her own pockets. Aside from her worn deck of cards, she found her own comm. Wondering when she'd bothered to even pick up something she'd been issued, much less put it with her own stuff, she turned the display on. An unshaven man who looked more than a little stressed out greeted her.

The sound that came out of the comm was as static filled as the video. "This is Carth Onasi- the Sith are overrunning our position...can't stand the assault...report to the bridge." The transmission was finally overtaken completely by static, but she got the confirmation that they were in a bad spot. Putting the communicator back in its pocket, she looked to Trask, who was looking more worried by the second.

"Do you know who that was? Carth is one of the best pilots in the whole Republic! If he says things are bad, it's worse than I thought. We have to get to the bridge and help Bastila!"

Skye thought Trask was being a bit sycophantic in regards to Carth, but could only agree that things were looking even grimmer than before. They moved out of the hall they were in- right into a firefight between two Sith solders and a Republic guard. The advance boarding party, Skye guessed.

The guard only managed to nail the Sith on the right, the blaster bolt slamming through his chest plate, dropping him instantly. The remaining Sith fired off two shots in rapid succession, one grazing the Republic soldier's cheek, and the other ending up in his forehead. Now that the fighting was over, Trask jumped out from the doorway they'd been taking cover in, brandishing a blaster rifle and yelling something or another about the honor of the Republic. Wondering exactly when sneak attacks and subtlety had gone out of style, Skye sighed, and ran out to join the upcoming fray.

Trask wasn't that great of a sharp shooter. Most of the shots were easy dodges, but at least he distracted the Sith long enough for Skye to run behind him and end the fight with a decisive jab of her sword to his back. Trask seemed grateful for the assistance- with his aim, the shootout could have lasted much longer. After pocketing a few frag grenades she recovered from the two Sith, she tossed Trask her sword.

"Maybe you should stick to melee. I don't need to be fried by friendly fire, thanks," she said smirking. Trask only mumbled something about there being nothing left in the armory, but changed weapons thankfully.

The next room held two more Sith. As soon as the door opened, they opened fire. Skye ducked low, and managed to dodge one shot, but a second grazed painfully across her side. Diving to the left, she took cover behind a table, and shot back, destroying her opponents kneecap. He dropped to the floor in a howl of agony.

Trask had charged into the other Sith, slamming him to the ground, his rifle skidding uselessly out of his range. Desperate to get away, the Sith struck out with a crushing hook to Trask's nose, sending a spray of crimson into the air. Enraged, Trask brought his newly acquired sword down, sheathing it in the man's chest. Apparently, he really was more at ease with a sword. Standing, he pulled the sword free from its temporary resting place. After wiping the blade on the battle jacket of one of the dead Spire crewmen, he dug around in his pack for a medpac. Finding one and injected it, he looked to Skye and examined her injury.

"You look like you could use one yourself, Kinoda," he said thickly, as we wiped a trickle of blood from his face with the back of his hand. Skye, standing up from behind the table, looked down at her own wound. She waved away the medpac Trask held out to her.

"It's nothing, barely hit me, really," she said, looking at the man she'd shot, who had either passed out or died from the pain. "Besides, he got it worse than me." Behind the door, screams and battle cries suddenly erupted, along with the telltale sound of a grenade explosion.

"At this rate, they'll overrun the ship before we get to the bridge!" Trask cried in frustration, turning to Skye and meeting thin air. He glanced around uncertainly. "Kinoda? Where'd you go?" The sound of another grenade exploded, no doubt sending someone to a crispy death. Trask, thinking Skye had decided to take her chances and desert, turned to fight the Sith himself, only to notice the door was open. Looking carefully out into the corridor, he saw no survivors of the battle. Instead, he saw Skye phase back into sight as she deactivated her stealth generator.

"I just figured it'd save us some time this way. Probably save you a black eye to go with that busted up nose of yours. Hope ya didn't think I ran off."

Trask raised his hand defensively to his nose, as if he didn't think it could have looked _that_ bad. It did. "It saved us time we definitely need to be sure, and I didn't think you deserted me! I just... assumed you went back for something," he added lamely.

Skye rolled her eyes. "If we make it out of this, remind me to smack you one for being such an awful liar."

They continued onwards, meeting no opposition for several winding passages. Then, ahead, they heard sounds different from the earlier battles. It wasn't something she'd ever heard before; it sounded familiar to a blaster charging, but continuous.

"Lightsabers," Trask said, having noticed the look on her face. They looked at each other for a split moment before running down the hallway. They came across a battle between a female Jedi battling against a grayish-colored man wielding a red lightsaber. Trask stopped Skye from advancing, blocking her way with an outstretched arm. "We'd only get in her way, there's nothing we can do against a Dark Jedi."

With a forward thrust of his arm, the Sith sent the Jedi flying into the wall behind her. She slumped down to the ground, seemingly unconscious. Raising his lightsaber, he approached to finish her off. He never made it that far; the Jedi still had enough power to toss her lightsaber towards him. It sped towards the Sith, burning its way through this chest, dropping him instantly. Leaning her head back against the wall, she rested, trying to recover from hitting the wall. Unfortunately for her it wasn't the best place to rest, as an explosion rocked the hallway, killing her.

"Well, I'm going to assume that wasn't Bastila," Skye said, eyeing the woman.

Trask shook his head. "No, one of the Jedi accompanying her. Damn, she would have been a real help, too. But, the bridge is up ahead; maybe Bastila and Carth are there."

Reaching the bridge, they found it woefully empty, apart from the scattered bodies everywhere. Bastila was nowhere to be found.

"This is getting pretty aggravating," Skye muttered under her breath. Trask ignored her.

"She must have already made her way to the escape pods. We better get going, too. They want her alive, but if they know she's off the ship, they won't hesitate to blast us out of space!"

The thought of being space dust being none too appealing to either of them, so they made their way off the bridge into the adjoining chamber. There was a faint sound behind the door in front of them.

"There's something behind there," Trask said, approaching and opening the door. Out of the smoke, a lightsaber ignited, its red glow crawling across the floor. "Damn, another Dark Jedi! Make your way to the escape pods!"

"Don't be stupid! We can both make it out of here!" Skye protested.

He went in to engage the Sith, yelling back to her as he did: "Go! Go find Bastila!" The door closed and locked behind him. Growling at the stupid heroism of soldiers, she didn't have much choice but to continue on solo to wards the starboard section, where the escape pods lay in wait.

She'd been making her way through the smoke and debris filled hallways for a few minutes, when her communicator went off again. Taking it out, she was greeted by Carth again.

"Carth again- I'm tracking your position through the ship's life support systems. You're the last surviving crew member. Bastila's escape pod is already away. I'm waiting here for you, but I can't much longer- you'll have to hurry! Be careful- there's a group of Sith ahead of you."

Nodding, she turned her stealth generator back on and slipped past the patrol easily. Entering the escape pod area, she came back into view. Carth, startled at first, seemed relieved when he saw it was her. He smiled.

"You made it just in time! There's one active pod left- it'll be a tight fit, but it'll get us to the planet below, we can hide out there for a while."

Better than sticking around here and being target practice," Skye said, clambering into the escape pod. Carth followed, making the already small chamber feel even more claustrophobic.

The escape pod rocketed out of the ship towards the planet below, and none too soon, as the Endar Spire finally gave in to the constant assault, exploding behind them. Their escape vehicle plunged into the planet's atmosphere, hurtling past skyscrapers and rushing closer and closer towards a very unforgiving looking piece of walkway.

"Oh, hell." Skye shouted, just before everything went black.

* * *

I don't own Star Wars. If I did... well, looking at the Prequels, I wouldn't admit to it, for one thing. Comments/Criticisms always welcome. The next chapter and the long delayed Chapter 4 of For Love of a Jedi should hopefully be typed up and posted by the end of the week. 


	2. Dress to Impress

An Unlikely Savior

Chapter 2: Dress to Impress

Skye opened her eyes to see she was, to her relief, not dead. The bright light filtering in through the window over the bed she was lying on hurt her eyes, and made her head ache dully. Gingerly, she touched the back of her head, feeling a large lump. Sitting up, she was startled to see Carth sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Hey, welcome back. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"You're not very frightening, sorry. Just wasn't expecting to see you there," she mumbled. Her mouth felt dry and long unused.

Carth smiled a bit. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but thanks anyway, I guess." He stood and walked over to a nearby workbench. She heard the sound of water pouring. "You've been out for the past couple of days now. You looked like you were having a pretty bad nightmare, the way you kept tossing and turning in your sleep." He returned to his seat, handing her a glass of water.

Skye shrugged. "Well, it wasn't like a nightmare. I guess... it was more like a vision ,or something," she said between gulps of water.

"Yeah? Well, I'd probably be having visions too if I'd taken a crack to the skull like you did. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you. Lucky I didn't, either; I wouldn't have been able to get us to safety."

"Where are we, anyway?" she asked, coughing a little from the water.

"I couldn't get us far; I wasn't doing to great myself after we crashed. But I got us to this abandoned apartment before the Sith came to search. The planet itself is called Taris."

"I guess I owe you one for saving my life, Carth. Thank you."

Carth shook his head dismissively. "No need to thank me. I've never abandoned a teammate. But," he added, smirking, "you can make it up to me soon. I'm going to need your help."

"With what? Shouldn't the Republic be swooping in any moment to save one of their ace pilots and a Jedi?" She shook her head, setting the long empty water glass on the floor. "I'm not sure how much help I can be."

Carth chuckled, but there wasn't much humor in it. "If only it were that easy. Taris is under Sith control, and the Republic won't be able to break through their blockade, so if we're going to find Bastila and escape, we're going to have to do it on our own.

Taris is a planet with a fair amount of alien species. And from what I remember seeing on your recruitment papers, you know a remarkable number of languages. I suppose you learned in your former... business, but it'll be a huge help."

Leaning back against the headboard, Skye took in all the new information. Hunted on a planet that's been quarantined, with little chance of escaping, all over some Jedi. _Great, just great._

"Listen, I don't even know why this Bastila is so damn important for, anyway!"

Carth looked surprised. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought. Bastila was with the strike team that killed Darth Revan three years ago. She's the key to the whole Republic war effort."

"And _why_ is she the almighty key to the war effort?" Skye asked skeptically.

"Well, I don't know much about how it works, but she has a rare gift called Battle Meditation that inspires her allies, and demoralizes her enemies. The attack on the Endar Spire happened so fast, she didn't have time to use it. Like us, she barely escaped."

"Well, that explains it a little, I guess. What should we do now, if the Sith are all over this planet?"

"We can move around a lot easier than Bastila will be able to. No one will be looking for everyday soldiers, but half of the Sith forces will be out looking for her. We need to find her before they do. If we don't... well, it won't be good for her or us."

Really regretting passing up the joys of prison to instead put her neck on the line for some flyboy and his quest to rescue the Jedi in distress, Skye sighed inwardly.

"We don't know where she landed, though. She could be anywhere."

"Actually, while you were out, I asked around. A few pods landed down in the Undercity, so that's a good place to start. We'd have heard the news already, if she had landed here in the Upper City; the Sith would have been all over her."

"What's all this business about Upper and Undercities?"

"Oh, sorry I forget to explain. Taris is a city that's been building over it self for years, and the further down you go, the worse it gets. This top layer is the Upper City, mostly humans, with a few aliens who work in the area. The Lower City is a slum, and it's pretty much run by swoop gangs. The Undercity," he shrugged, " I didn't learn much about, but what I did hear is bad. We'll have to be prepared."

"Well, that sounds lovely," Skye said dryly. "I guess it has to get worse before it gets better. Fine, let's get moving- sooner we find her, the sooner we can blow this backwater rock." Skye stood, getting reacquainted with her equilibrium.

"Remember, it'd be best if we kept a low profile," Carth added, grabbing his gear off the workbench.

* * *

Unfortunately for them, they had picked a bad time to leave the apartment. Opening the door, they were greeted by the sight of a Sith officer being accompanied by two battle droids. The soldier, an arrogant looking runt of a man, looked around the hall way disdainfully. "All of you scum against the wall. This is a raid!" he yelled, as he pulled out a blaster.

A Duros glanced nervously at the three armed intruders. In an unwise move, he tried to reason with the man. "You found nothing yesterday, why do you keep disturbing us?" All he received for his trouble were three new holes in his body. Kicking the corpse to the side of the hallway, the man smiled coldly.

"Alright, the rest of you against the wall before I show you another example of why smart-mouth aliens and short tempers don't mix- wait." He had just taken notice of Carth and Skye. A look of slight disbelief crossed his face for a second, before it returned to its calculating look. "Must be my lucky day! If I kill a couple of Republic scum, I'll definitely be promoted!"

"You won't live that long, sorry to say," Skye said, drawing her blaster.

"So much for our low profile," Carth muttered, as he readied his own blasters.

Immediately, the droids sprang into action, aiming at Skye. The Sith settled on Carth, squeezing the trigger quickly. Carth dodged, retaliating by firing several shots off as he did. But the sudden movement shifted his aim off more towards the droids. He hit one, and missed the other. Cursing, he ducked another blast from the Sith.

The remaining droid tagged Carth hard in the arm, sending the blaster in that hand to the floor. "I don't need two to take you down, bolthead," Carth said through gritted teeth, as he steadied he zeroed his sights in on the droid.

Meanwhile, the Sith and Skye squared off. With a sudden kick, she disarmed him, but was too slow to avoid his counterattack, a nasty hook to the ribs that sent her stumbling back, and with her balance already off, she hit the floor. Hard. She had a second to feel the flare of pain from the bump on her head before the Sith was straddling her- she brought up her hands just in time to grab his arm and stop the downward arc of his, until now, previously hidden vibroblade.

"Now... who was it that wasn't going to be living long?" the Sith said as he struggled to bring the blade down. Not willing to risk freeing one hand to reach for her blaster on the floor, she knew the answer would probably be her if she didn't find a way to get out of this. Then, the sound of blaster fire. The Sith stopped his struggling, and collapsed limply onto her, his vibroblade clattering uselessly onto the floor next to them.

"Looks like it's still you, tubby," Skye said,, shoving him off her with a fair bit of effort. She looked up to see Carth standing above her, looking a bit banged up from his own fight with the droids.

A good natured look crossed his face. "_Now_ you can thank me for saving your life, if you want," he said, holding his good hand out to help her up. Apparently, not banged up enough to make a joke at her expense.

Clambering back up, she scowled at him. "You're lucky I wouldn't hit an injured man." She was about to weave an intricate explanation as to how she would have completely devastated the guy once she got back on her feet, when a timid acting Duros came up to them.

The Duros glanced at, what Skye presumed to be, his now-deceased friend. "He always did have a big mouth, that Ixgil, but I never thought he'd go so far as to backtalk a Sith..." Shaking his head, he looked up at them gratefully. "Thankfully, you two were here to step in and help the rest of us. Hopefully, this will be the last time they come bothering us."

Even though they hadn't really 'stepped in' so much as been shot at, Skye thought it better to play the hero than rain on the poor guy's parade.

"Er, we were glad to help. But won't these bodies cause a problem?"

"I'll handle that, don't worry. It's the least I can do for you." He paused, examining their cuts and bruises. "You'll need treatment for that. You're no friend of the Sith, and neither is Zelka Forn who runs the clinic down the way; he'll take good care of you."

Skye stopped him before he moved to deal with the remains. " My friend and I need to get to the Undercity. Can this Zelka help us in that department, too?"

The Duros looked uneasy, even a little frightened. "Don't know why you'd want to go down there- there's bad, bad things making a home there. But if you're dead set on going, the only way you can get there is through the Lower City... which is currently only accessible to Sith."

Sighing, Skye thanked the Duros, who scampered off to remove the bodies of Ixgil and the arrogant Sith. Turning to Carth, she translated to him the gist of the situation, then asked, "What are we going to do now? Offing one Sith indoors is one thing, but outside we'd have some trouble on our hands if we tried to fight our way down there."

Carth rubbed at his stubble, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're right. But there's a cantina nearby, maybe we can find someone who might know an alternate way there."

"Sure. After we stop by that clinic. I have a splitting headache and you need to be a hundred percent in case I really need you to save my life while we're saving the great hope of the Republic."

* * *

The clinic was a small building in the south side of the Upper City. The inside was as tidy and sterile looking as one would expect, but still somehow lacked the cold, clinical atmosphere present in most hospitals. It was built more for function than form; a few beds lined the far wall, as well as an empty kolto tank and a shelf stocked with supplies. A reception desk was to the left as they entered. A young human with a shifty look to his eyes looked up as they entered. He barely afforded them a glance before yelling for his boss' attention. Skye hoped he wasn't being paid much just to do that.

An older man approached from the back to greet them. Seeing their injuries, he swept them further back to the beds and sat them both down on one before either one could say a word.

"Zelka Forn, I presume?" Carth asked, as he settled down on the edge of the bed, looking at the man as he busily searched through the shelf, taking down a few items.

"That's me, " Zelka confirmed, coming back over to them with the small armful of supplies. Emptying a small bottle of kolto solution in to a basin he started soaking a bandage in it. "And who do I have the distinction of attending to today?" he asked, a kind look on his face.

"I'm Carth, and this is Skye." He shivered a little as Zelka wrapped the cool bandage on his arm.

Zelka turned his attentions to Skye, who merely pointed at her head. Understanding, he offered he a small vial of a murky medicine. Skye, knowing what it was, grimaced involuntarily, but accepted it, drinking it quickly. The taste of chalk coated her mouth, but already the headache had begun to lessen.

Zelka laughed at her expression. "Oh, don't feel bad about it. Liquid kolto has the same effect for almost everybody. It's like nature's own way of telling you to stay out of trouble from then own."

"Believe me, we would have avoided trouble if we could have," Skye said, still trying to work the bland taste free of her mouth. "And we have a lot more trouble to go through as well." Zelka cast a curious glance at her. " We need to get down to the Undercity."

Disbelief crossed his face. "Even if you could get past the Sith to get down there, the rakghouls would get you."

"Rakghouls?"

"Mutated humans. I don't know what caused them to change, but it's the biggest threat down there. If they don't kill you, you're one of the unlucky ones. It'll only be a matter of time before you turn into a rakghoul as well."

"There's no cure?"

"There was a serum developed by the scientists here, but then the Sith came," he said, a bitter tone creeping into his voice as he mentioned the Sith. "I guess they take samples along when they're looking for Republic soldiers that might have crashed in the Undercity. Of course, they don't think to make enough for the citizens who need it."

"We're no friends of the Sith," Skye said. "If we can get a vial of the serum-"

"Don't say things like that! I won't have anyone hurt over this, not even _them_," Zelka interrupted, frowning.

"Relax, all I'm saying is if we manage to _find_ a copy, could you make enough to give to people?" Skye asked.

"It's an easy enough process, yes."

"Well, if we find some, we'll bring it back. A favor between friends of the Republic."

His frown faded in to a gradual smile. "Alright, just remember what I said. And be careful down there. Here," he said, giving them a few medpacs from the shelf. Looking at their confused expressions, he continued, "A favor between friends of the Republic."

Rising and saying their goodbyes, they headed for the exit, only to be stopped by Zelka's sketchy looking assistant.

"Hey, I hear you're going after some of that rakghoul serum."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you eavesdropping can be bad for your health?" Skye said.

"It's a small clinic!" the man replied, rather unconvincingly. "And I just have a deal to tell you about."

Carth scoffed. "Whatever kind of deal it is, I'm sure it can't be good."

"Maybe if you don't like credits. If you manage to find the serum, you should take it to Zax the Hutt down in the Lower City Cantina. He'll pay very well."

"And what do you get out of it?"

"A small percentage, a finder finder's fee, I guess." He laughed at his own pun. No one else did.

"How magnanimous of you," Carth replied. The sarcasm was apparently lost on the man who simply smiled and nodded. "And what does this Zax get out of it? An least Zelka wants to help people."

Sketchy looked hurt. "So does Zax! He's just a bit more profit-minded than Zelka. Zelka will practically give the stuff away. Zax will still help people in need. Just for a price."

Skye spoke up. "I like credits and all, but I know Hutts. Only the people who need it the least will be able to afford it. No deal. Besides," she said disdainfully, "I just don't like you. I'm sure this Zax is even less appealing."

"Well, you don't have to like me; just keep it in mind, you never know when you'll need the credits!" Sketchy said, as they both walked out the door, disgusted.

"Sure won't!" Skye replied, as they walked out. "What a jerk," she said to Carth as they walked across the plaza to the cantina.

"You said it, sister."

* * *

"Aye, lots of them Sith come in 'ere after a shift. Can't say they're too good for business," the reedy bartender said, as he filled three glasses full of a noxious looking liquid.

"Any of them you recognize here tonight?" Carth asked, stepping out of the way hurriedly as a frazzled-looking Twilek waitress bustle by, carrying off the drinks on a tray.

"Yeah," the bartender said, nodding in the direction of a pretty, but tired looking woman at a table in the corner. "don't know why you need to talk to one 'o them. Just don't cause any trouble in my cantina." He went back to filling up glasses.

"Carth, give me all your credits," Skye said, glancing over at the woman again. "Trust me," she added, seeing the look on his face.

"We only have three hundred," he said, handing over a wad of credits. "What are you going-" Skye interrupted him by asking the bartender for two of the drinks the Sith woman was drinking. "What-" he tried again.

"Have a little faith, Carth," Skye said, winking at him before disappearing through the crowd. The look on Carth's face showed he was none too sure how much faith he could place in a former smuggler her barley knew who'd just made off with all his credits. With a sigh, he took a seat at the bar and waited.

"Nice place, ain't it?" Skye asked conversationally as she sat down across from the woman, placing a drink in front of her. The woman glanced up at Skye, not saying anything. "Come on, tach got your tongue? I buy you a drink, and you just ignore me?"

The woman gave a slight smile, tracing a line through the beads of perspiration on the glass with a slim finger. "I think you might want to retract that offer."

"Why'd I want to do that?" Skye looked around, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "You don't have a boyfriend who's going to come over and beat me up for making a little conversation, do you?"

The woman leaned slightly to the left in her chair to glance at the blaster holstered at Skye's hip. "I think you can handle yourself just fine in a fight. But no, that's not the reason. People here don't even bother to speak to us officers much less befriend us."

To her surprise, Skye only pushed the drink further towards her, before taking a sip of her own. "Oh, it's just the fact that you're a Sith?" she said, as if it were just an average occupation. "That doesn't bother me. I'm Skye, by the way."

"I'm Sarna. I- I wouldn't have expected you to stay after hearing that. Aren't you the least bit upset about the quarantine?" she asked, as she finally pushed aside the empty glass, and accepted the fresh one Skye offered, smiling over the rim as she raised the glass to her lips.

Shaking her head, Skye replied, "It's war. The Republic would have done the same thing. Hell, they might have even put us under a curfew."

"Finally, someone who understands! Everyone else on this planet just complains and gives us dirty looks all the time. It's all about making the best of things, having a positive attitude!"

It must be hard keeping in a good mood stuck on an assignment like this day in and day out," Skye said gently, her hand touching Sarna's in a motion of sympathy.

"Well, I- I do try to keep my head up," Sarna said, looking a bit flushed. "It's good to meet someone who understands what I'm going through. It gets pretty lonely at the base," she said, adding with a sigh, "Actually, I have to be going; I have a shift soon." Smiling apologetically, she stood.

"It figures. I finally meet someone interesting, and she ditches me," Skye said jokingly.

"Well, actually, I'd really like to see you again... you know, some of us officers are throwing a party to blow off some steam. Why don't you drop by tonight?"

"Name the time and place."

After giving Skye the information, Sarna said, "Don't be late, we managed to get some Tarisian ale and I doubt it'll last long. Most of us won't even be making the trip to drop our equipment back off at the base. Well... I hope to see you there."

"Wouldn't miss it," Skye said, waving goodbye. Standing she walked back to where Carth was sitting.

"Well, what'd you find out?" he asked, standing to free the bar stool fro paying guests.

"A bunch of Sith are having a party tonight in an apartment complex nearby," she said, looking rather pleased with herself.

After a moment's silence: "Please tell me you didn't waste all that time getting that information."

"Well, yeah. But we're invited, and they'll be bringing their uniforms. We'll be able to steal one and get into the Lower City."

"I don't think they'll take to kindly to us just waltzing out of the place with their stuff," Carth said, unconvinced.

"Two words- Tarisian ale."

"What?"

"Sarna said they'd all be drinking Tarisian ale. I've ... well, I've had some experience with it, let's put it that way. If you don't have a tolerance built up, it'll have you'll be out cold in twenty minutes, tops."

"Well, alright, it's worth a shot. But, Sarna? Getting awful cozy with the Sith, aren't you? You do remember they're out to capture and possibly kill us, right?"

Skye raised an eyebrow. "Jealous, flyboy? Relax, a little flirting got us a long way. Now let's go check out the city until the party starts. I've got almost three hundred creds burning a hole in my pocket. The look on Carth's face caused her to smile. "C'mon, we need supplies, and I need that beautiful vibrosword on display at that weapon shop we passed."

Carth groaned as he followed his very frustrating companion out of the cantina, hoping her idea would pan out.

* * *

A few hours and several shops later, the newly equipped pair of Republic soldiers begin making their way to the apartment complex hosting the Sith party. As they passed an extravagant fountain, Carth stopped her.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Carth asked. At her nod, he continued. "Well, it's about the attack on the Endar Spire. Some things just don't add up. Maybe you could tell me your side of the story?"

Skye shrugged. "Well, I didn't see much, with the whole fighting for my life part. You understand."

"Same here, they were on us so fast, it's anyone's guess as to what actually happened." He sighed, looking away towards the towering buildings in the distance. "We lost a lot of good people... I'm surprised we even survived to talk about it." He looked back at her. "It's even more surprising you're here."

"What are you talking about, Carth?" Skye asked uncertainly, uncertain about where he was going with this.

"It's just that I find it a little odd that someone added to the crew at the last minute just happens to be one of the survivors, is all."

"And what's so odd about me being added to the roster at the last minute? I'm sure it happens all the time," Skye countered, on the defensive, not liking the path the conversation was starting to go down.

"But you were the only one, not to mention it was Bastila's party that requested you be transferred."

"Why's she do that?"

Carth shook his head. "Don't know. When the Jedi came onboard, they made a lot of demands. They basically took over the ship.

"Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi, regardless of wheter you know or not, your prescense here is a little convenient." He smiled, trying to thake the edge off what he was saying. "I know it's probably nothing, but I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value."

"Well, I do hate to burst you conspiracy theorist bubble, but I didn't have anything to do with what happened," Skye said, rolling her eyes.

"I know... I expect you're right, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

_Not when you look like an idiot doing it_, Skye thought. "Are you always this suspicious, or is a special treat just for me?"

He sighed uneasily. "Look, it's not you. I just have my own reasons for not trusting anyone. And before you ask like I know you want to," he said, seeing her open her mouth to speak, "no I'm not going to talk about it. So, can we just do something important? Maybe get ourselves a Sith uniform or two?"

"Oh no, you don't! You aren't worming your way out of this so easily. I think finding out why the man I supposed to be working with to get off this planet doesn't trust me is pretty important."

Probably feeling a new argument brewing, he relented. "Alright, already. You're pretty damn persistent. We can talk about it, but later, okay? Let's just work on finding Bastila for now. Please?"

Glancing to the quickly darkening horizon, Skye yielded. For now, anyway. "You're damn lucky the party's about to start." She smiled, lightening up a bit. "Don't think I'll forget to harass you about this later," she added, hitting him playfully on the shoulder, before dragging him towards the apartment building.

* * *

"Who are you?" A smallish, yet still dangerous looking man blocked the way inside the apartment. Behind them, Skye could see Sarna and some other men and women dancing, talking, and of course, drinking copiously.

"Er," Skye began. "Sarna invited me."

The man looked utter unconvinced. He turned his head to yell for Sarna, spraying them both with the sweaty remnants of what, she assumed, was his hair gel. Wincing as she wiped her face, Skye made a mental note that Carth would be the one to wear any uniform they found. "Sarna, come 'ere! Did you invite these two?"

Sarna smiled at Skye as she approached. "I'm hoped you'd show up." She glanced at Carth. "Who your friend?" she asked, a bit disinterestedly.

"I'm-" Carth was cut off by a sharp elbow to the side.

"He's a crew member on my ship. Couldn't believe me when I scored a invite to the biggest party of the night by a wonderful young woman," Skye said, ignoring Carth's protest of pain. The greasy haired guy rolled his eyes.

Sarna brightened. "Well, I don't know about all that, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the party. Let me show you to the drinks," she said, taking Skye's hand and moving away.

Looking back, Skye mouthed, "Have fun, " to Carth as she was whisked away. Carth was left standing with the door guard, who really didn't look all that interested in conversation.

He grinned awkwardly at the man. "So, uh. How's work?" The man glared back at him as a response. Carth sighed at being left stranded yet again.

An hour later, the Tarisian ale had taken its toll- all the Sith were sleeping soundly on the floor. Carth had dressed himself in a Sith uniform, and was just now donning the helmet.

"Hey, that fits perfectly, Carth," Skye said.

She couldn't see his face, but he sure sounded unhappy. "This thing smell horrible," he groaned. "And why do I have to be the only one wearing one of these?"

She'd already thought up an excuse while she had been off with Sarna and her friends. "Way I see it, one of us wearing it ought to be enough. If I can't get by, I can always use my stealth generator."

"Let's just get this over with so I can get out of this blasted thing. I don't know how long I can take this; don't they clean these?"

Skye patted him consolingly on the back, secretly very glad she had him to boss around.

* * *

Phew. The 3rd chapter should be typed by this time next week, give or take a day. Comments/Criticism/Pie always welcomed. Pie is good. 


	3. Mission Vao & the Hidden Beks

An Unlikely Savior  
Chapter 3  
Mission and the Hidden Beks

---

Once inside the elevator, Carth wasted no time in ridding himself of the Sith helmet, breathing a sigh of relief as he did so. Skye pressed a button on the elevator console, causing it to creak into motion and begin its descent.

The ride lasted a little over a minute. Once the elevator had stopped, the sounds of fighting could faintly be heard from outside. Skye glanced over at Carth. He'd noticed as well, and had already drawn his blaster in anticipation. Meeting her gaze, he shrugged, the ghost of a grin on his face.

"Looks like another fight… But at least we can see if that sword you bought was worth the price."

Skye responded playfully with a not so playful gesture as she opened the door to… nothing. Nothing other than an absolutely normal looking street. It looked the same as the Upper City more or less. More litter and dirt, less extravagant fountains and clean air.

"Um…" Skye started uncertainly, as she surveyed the area. The crept cautiously to the end of the side alley the elevator was located in, and peered out into the street as best they could with out giving their presence away.

Before them were a group of aliens and humans in the middle of a brawl. An intimidating figure of a human was just finishing up eviscerating a very unlucky Rodian. Looking up from his grisly task, he looked up at the group standing opposite from him.

"Give it up already! You Beks don't stand a chance against the Vulkars! Run back home to Gadon while you can!"

A disastrously brave Twi'lek spoke up in defense. "We'll show you who's strongest!" she yelled, before she charged the man and his companions, followed somewhat reluctantly by the rest of the Beks. Unfortunately for the Beks, bravery wasn't enough to turn the tide. By the end, all of the Beks were dead, and only three Vulkars were left standing. Even more unfortunate for the spying onlookers, the brutish Vulkar was now looking dead at their hiding spot, a menacing scowl spreading across his scarred face.

"You Sith just can't get it through your damned heads that you ain't welcome down here?" he said, as his two alien cronies approached behind him. Neither of them looked all that friendly either. He approached them slowly, the crimson-stained hue of his vibroblade becoming more evident as he closed the distance. "Guess we'll have to send your boss another example!" He lunged out on the last syllable with a wild chop of his vibroblade that would have left Carth a one gun man, had he not been able to backpedal out of the way quickly, firing off a few shots to keep the man back while he regained his composure.

Skye jumped ahead to deal with the two alien Vulkars. Dodging one's jab, she thrust her own vibrosword into the stomach of the other, pulling up into the chest cavity sharply before pulling the blade free. As the body dropped limply to the street, she was just in time to see a small club arc down towards her shoulder, but it was too late to try to avoid it. As it collided with her arm, she saw white-blue lightning dance across her sleeve as the left side of her torso began to lose all feeling, save for a prickly sensation.

_Sneaky bastard, bring a stun baton to a fight_, Skye thought. Too bad for the enemy Bothan, he hit her in the offhand; her right arm had no problems slamming the blade into his neck, cleaving his head neatly off.

Carth on the other hand, was having trouble with keeping his target out of melee range. Scar had taken a few blaster shots, but was still strong enough to keep lumbering forward to close in, only to have to dodge a spray of fire. Quickly tiring of the Sith's game, he readied himself for a final charge, when to his surprise, he noticed his stomach seemed to have grown a metal spike. He died with that conundrum on his mind, as he collapsed, first dropping to his knees, then to the duracrete, Skye's sword sliding out of him as he went down. She stood above his corpse, sighing as she stooped to wipe the blade clean on the dead man's jacket.

"Really, Carth, if I have to keep bailing you outta these situations, I'm going to have to charge."

Carth frowned down at her. "I was handling that guy just fine, thank you!"

"I didn't say you weren't! But you need someone to keep them out of that helmet hair of yours," Carth touched his hair reflexively, trying to ruffle it back to its original style, "so just stick by me and I'll keep them off you," she said, standing back up, finally satisfied with the blade's shine.

"Well, you do know how to handle a sword," he said, motioning to the three Vulkars, "and it would help speed things up…"

"So that's a yes?"

He paused for a moment of mock consideration, before giving her a comradely slap on the back. "You bet it is."

Skye smiled at him before glancing down the street. "We better take off before some more of the guys come looking for a fight."

Carth nodded in agreement, and they continued in their quest to get to the Undercity.

The Lower City seemed to be the place to be if you were the violent sort. Not five minutes later, they ran into a group of sentients in an argument with a human man that seemed to be getting louder and angrier by the second.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the sentinents, a Duros, asked, looking disdainfully at the man, who looked pretty amused at the question.

"You know what we're here for. You're running late on your payments. You don't think being in some swoop gang is going to keep Davik from collecting his money, do you?"

The Duros scoffed derisively at the name. "Davik doesn't do anything for his cut, he just keeps us working twice as hard to make up for it. He claims to be Exchange, let's see him prove it."

Davik's agent smiled calmly as the other gang members nodded, agreeing with the Duros.

"Yeah, let's see if the big crime lord is willing to come through the Black Vulkars to get to his credits!"

Unfazed by the Vulkar solidarity on the issue, the agent continued. "I see. You want to do things the hard way? Fine by me- I like it more this way, anyway." He whistled, and a large man emerged from the darkness behind him. The man was well over six feet tall, and heavily muscled. He looked to be in his forties at least, Skye guessed, judging from the grey-black color of his hair, and his face, which currently wore a dark smile. Looking at the massive repeater rifle he was holding, she had a good idea of why he looked so pleased.

The Duros who'd previously been so bold suddenly reconsidered. "C- Canderous! Listen, we didn't know you was with Davik… We don't want no trouble from a Mandalorian. Here," he stepped forward to hand a large stack of credits to the smaller man, glancing cautiously at Canderous all the while, "take Davik his cut." The all but tripped over themselves trying to get away from the Mandalorian, disappearing into what looked to be an apartment complex.

Canderous watched them go. When he spoke, he sounded a bit disappointed. "Too bad. I was looking forward to cracking some heads." The agent shook his head dismissively.

"Maybe next time. We have a lot of payments to collect, and most of them require an extra bit of…, negotiation. I have to go get this over to Davik. I'll get back to you when I need you." Canderous grunted in either agreement or as a goodbye as the man breezed by Skye and Carth, totally ignoring the two of them in the process. Canderous shouldered his rifle, and stalked off behind him, taking a turn into the cantina they'd passed a ways back, probably to start a fight. Or three.

"I think that's the elevator to the Undercity up ahead," Carth said, taking Skye's attention away from the Mandalorian and back on the task at hand. With a defeated look, Carth once again put on the Sith helmet to complete his disguise.

They approached and tried to pass through, only to be stopped by the guard present there.

"Hold up! Anyone going down to the Undercity has to have their authorization papers from the base."

"Well, they said it was an emergency… They rushed us down here so fast, they forgot to give us any," Carth said quickly, hoping to convince the checkpoint guard- and failing miserably.

"I don't rightly care if the flaming Dark Lord Malak himself is being chased by a herd of rutting rontos! You aren't getting down there without those papers! Skye couldn't help but wonder if he'd gotten this assignment because of his attitude. They had no choice but to turn back: six gun turrets stood ready to disintegrate anyone who tried to blast their way past.

"So, where to now fearless leader?" Skye asked as they walked away from the checkpoint.

Carth thought it over for a minute before replying. "Well, the last time we needed answers, we got them in a cantina. I guess it can't hurt to try again.

Skye rolled her eyes. "Real original, Onasi. But it's not like we have any other choice, really," she conceded.

"Don't worry, we're sure to find someone willing to be seduced in exchange for information," Carth replied offhandedly, ignoring her glare.

---

After going to the cantina, only to be turned away, they made a quick stop in a deserted cul-de-sac so Carth could change out of his uniform, then finally they were granted access to Jothra's Pit, the Lower City's cantina.

'Pit' described the place pretty damn well. Unlike the cantina of the city above, this place was in dire need of, well, everything. The walls were in need of a new paint job, the lighting was bad, and there was a lingering odor present in the air. Neither of them was exactly sure where is came from- the cantina itself, or its patrons.

Stepping into the main area of the cantina, they came across a small man being approached by a Twi'lek and a couple of Rodians, Not wanting to be caught in yet another altercation, she pulled Carth off in the direction of the bar, only to run into yet another oncoming fight. She inwardly cursed ever hearing of the word smuggling.

In front of them were three figures, a young Twi'lek female arguing with two Vulkars, judging by the similar clothing they were wearing.

"Listen bantha-breath! I ain't interested in joining the Vulkars!" the girl said exasperatedly. "Gadon's been good to Big Z and me, and 'sides, the Beks are gonna you into galactic dust by the time this is over and done with!"

"You talk big for such a little girl. Maybe Vulkars teach you a lesson!" one of the thugs threatened.

"You know, I was kinda hopin' you'd say something like that." She glanced across her shoulder. "Big Z! Come here a sec." She turned back, a smug look across her face.

Skye had bee expecting an older Bek member or even a bodyguard -the Lower City was as good a place as any to invest in those services- to be the mysterious Big Z. She had definitely _not_ been prepared to see a Wookiee of all things approaching. He took his place at the girl's side, as if daring the thugs to take another step.

"We don't have problem with Wookiee! Problem with you! The Vulkar said, trying his best to sound unthreatened. Skye knew better, and she suspected Carth and the two Beks knew it too.

"You see though," the Twi'lek girl continued, "Big Z takes threats against me real personal, so if you've got a problem with me, you got a problem with him."

In no way willing to deal with an angry Wookiee, the Rodian Vulkar relented. "We see you again real soon. Little girl lucky she have big friend." He said as he and his friend backed away quickly, disappearing into the throng of people crowded around the bar.

Big Z uttered some guttural sounding growls, and as Skye heard it, all thoughts of him being dangerous vanished. It seemed the Wookiee was now whining- _whining!_ - to the girl about his food having grown cold. As he skulked off to eat his now lukewarm dinner, Skye approached the Twi'lek girl from behind.

"That's a nice friend to have in a place like this, kid," Skye said. The girl whirled around to face her.

"Haven't you guys had enough? Big Z ain't gonna be happy-" she stopped, studying Skye intently. "Wait, you're not a Vulkar, are you? Don't look like it; you dress better and you ain't as ugly, either. Barely."

_Wow, a Wookiee as a friend is probably VERY handy to have around here, when you've got a mouth like that!_ Skye thought. She liked the kid already.

"No, I'm not with them, I actually just took care of a few of them outside. Although, I can certainly see why you're so popular with them."

The girl smiled sheepishly in response. "Sorry about that, but well… you shouldn't have called me kid!" She stood up a little straighter. "I'm not a kid, I'm fourteen years old! The name's Mission Vao," she said, sticking her hand out, all previous animosities forgotten.

Skye shook Mission's hand, and gestured to Carth with the other. "I'm Skye, and this is Carth. So, tell me, what's going on with the gangs down here? The Vulkars we ran into outside were taking down a group of Beks."

"The Vulkars? Bunch of jerks, they think they can take over the place, now that they got that rat Brejek leading them! That, and they've been acting all big and stuff ever since those shuttles crashed in the Undercity."

Carth looked at Mission carefully. "Did they say anything about the shuttles? If they found anything?"

Mission was silent for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, sorry, sot that I know of anyway. But, but Gadon might know something, if you really need to know."

"Gadon? Not another Vulkar or anything, right? Carth asked, hoping this wouldn't lead to spending more time trying to track someone down.

"Nope, Gadon is the leader of the Hidden Beks. Nice guy, always lets me and Big Z hang out at their hideout. A roar was heard from the dining area. "Oh boy, looks like they messed up his dessert order again," Mission said, looking back to see a harried waiter rushing toward the kitchens. "I gotta go, but it's just up the street, tell them I sent ya, and they'll let you in!" She ran off, presumably to assure the waiter he wasn't going to be killed if he came out of the kitchen.

With a look on his face somewhere between amusement and astonishment, Carth turned back to Skye and, shaking his head, let out a soft chuckle. "I think 'wow' is the only way I can describe those two."

"You're right about that," Skye said, watching as the waiter pushed Mission back through the kitchen doors. "But they did help us out a little. Ready to see if this Gadon can get us any closer to finding our missing Jedi?"

Carth took a look around the smoky cantina. "It'll be hard to leave such a pleasant place, but I think I can manage."

After an awkward pause: "Carth… leave the sarcastic remarks to me."

"That bad, huh?"

"I'll give you some pointers when we're back in orbit," Skye said, as they walked to the exit, sidestepping the question, as well as the bodies of the three gangers they'd seen talking to the short guy earlier. This place was dangerous enough, and Skye could only imagine how much worse the Undercity would be.

She really regretted taking up smuggling.

---

After a short while, they found the hideout, and after explaining their business to the lookout (who both looked and acted like she'd been in a permanent bad mood since childhood), they finally made it inside the Hidden Beks base of operations.

As they walked in, they passed a few of the Beks milling around in the main room. Carth stopped a particularly glum looking Bek, who pointed them to the back of the room, where a human male sat behind a desk, chatting with a female Twi'lek standing beside him.

"Most of these guys are acting like they're at a funeral," Syke said, noticing the muted conversation and depressed looks of the other gang members, as they walked.

Carth nodded. "From the way things look on the streets right now, and the way Mission was talking, I'd say they've got reason enough to look that way."

As they got closer, the Twi'lek spotted them. A black look crossing her face, she stepped defensively closer to the man.

"Damnit! You Vulkar scum won't touch Gadon!" She reached for her blaster, only to have the man grab her wrist with surprising speed. She looked down at him questioningly. "Gadon?"

"Zaerdra, if they were Vulkars, I think they'd have far worse manners than they do."

Realizing they probably would have attacked once they were in firing range, rather than approach this far with their weapons holstered had they been Vulkar attackers, she reluctantly relented. Her frown still expressed her distrust, regardless of what Gadon thought. "Alright, but you two better not try anything funny," Zaerdra threatened, patting her holstered weapon meaningfully.

Thinking it was probably a bad idea to deal with Zaerdra further, Skye spoke directly to Gadon. "Gadon, I'm Skye Kinoda, and this is Carth Onasi." Gadon inclined his head in both their directions in greeting. "We ran into a friend of yours, Mission Vao, in he cantina. Says you might have some information on what the Vulkars found in the Undercity."

Gadon looked at the both of them closely. Skye couldn't help but notice the faint blue light his eyes were putting off. Implants. "That I do," he answered, "but I can't help but wonder what interest it is to a pair of off-worlders, however."

"They might be spies for the Sith, Gadon! How do you know you can trust them?" Zaerdra interrupted.

"If the Sith suspected we knew anything, they'd have already come and arrested every last one of us already. No, I think they have their own agenda, isn't that right?" he asked, turning away from Zaerdra back to them.

Skye elbowed Carth, unsure of what to say without letting on what they were and why they needed the information so badly. Carth, surprised, scrambled for an explanation. "Ah, well… maybe we just want the Vulkars out of the Lower City's hair just as much as you all do?"

Gadon looked at him silently for a moment, then laughed. "Alright, your business is your own, but if you're willing to go through the Vulkars to get to that business, I don't mind telling you what I know." Carth looked a little upset that his ruse was so transparent, even though it really was a bad excuse. "Most of what they found was just salvage from the wreckage, good for a few credits, but not much else, but the real prize was the girl they captured. A Republic officer named Bastila." Carth cursed under his breath. "Your business, I'm guessing?" Gadon asked. Carth nodded.

"Is there anyway we can get to her?" he asked.

Gadon shrugged. "Not an easy way, at any rate. There's no way you can get through the front doors, but there might be a way in through the sewers in the Undercity. But there's a problem that way, too."

"There always is on this planet," Carth muttered. "Trust me, we're used to problems. What is it?"

"I'm almost positive Brejek would keep Bastila far away from the rest of the Vulkars. She's far too valuable to leave around that lot. No, he'll be keeping her somewhere safe until the swoop race."

"Swoop race? What's that got to do with her?" Skye asked confusedly.

"Every year, the various swoop gangs have a race. Brejek will probably be putting up your friend as the Vulkar gang's share of the prize."

A look of understanding crossed the two Republic soldiers' faces. "He's hoping to win a lot of support by doing this. More people will join him, and it'll be that much easier to establish the Vulkars as the dominant force in the Lower City," Carth said.

"Right. So you see, it's as bad a situation for us as it is for you. Your only shot at getting to Bastila will be at the swoop race, I'm afraid."

"How do we get into this race, then?" Skye asked.

"The race is for swoop gangs only. I could sponsor you, however," Gadon said. Skye felt a 'but' coming on. "But," he continued, "it'll be a lost cause unless you can get the swoop accelerator they stole from us back. With that boosting its engine, a swoop is unbeatable." Skye wished she'd been wrong on that premonition.

"So, how are we supposed to get down to the Undercity?" Skye asked, frustrated. "We tried to get down there to look for the crashed pods earlier, but even with a Sith uniform we… 'obtained' earlier in the Upper City, we were turned away. We needed some kind of access papers. And, well, those turrets looked too nasty to try and force our way through."

Gadon's eyes widened a bit at the mention of the uniforms. "Those won't get you any further, you're right," he said, as he rifled through his desk's drawers. Finding what he was looking for, he placed it on the desk for their examination

Taking them up, she examined them cafefully, flicking through the few well-creased permission forms, as Carth looked on over her shoulder. "Oh, I guess I shouldn't ask how you got these access papers, should I?" she said, happy things were finally starting to look up for them.

"Oh, let's just say they fell off the back of a garbage transport," Gadon replied lightly. "But, in return for the papers, I want that uniform. It could be a big help."

"I'm telling you right now, sister, there's no way I'm putting that back on if I don't have to," Carth said firmly, before Skye could say anything else.

"But it was so much fun listening to you complain about it!" Carth didn't seem to find the situatiion at all humorus. "Fine, we won't need it anymore anyway, right? Deal." Carth, pulling the gear out of his pack, handed.it to Zaerdra, with a rather pleased look on his face.

Gadon thanked them, andexplained the rest of the plan. They'd seek assistance from Mission, who frequently spent time exploring the sewers. Why someone would willingly spend time in a sewer for fun was beyond Skye's reckoning. Then, after finding the prototype, one of them would be the Beks challenger in the race. If all went well, they should have Bastila safe and sound in their not so luxurious apartment in the Upper City two days from now.

The only forseeable problem Skye could see, she related to Carth as they made their way through the refuse covered streets on the way back to the freight elevator to the Undercity.

"Do- do you know how to ride a swoop bike?"

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to look at her. "What, you don't?"

She hoped the Beks would be kind enough to provide a swoop instructor.

* * *

So, that's it for the... er, quite delayed 3rd chapter of the fic! Sorry it took so long. Special thanks go out to Cassandra, that scary girl in my life, who... ah, inspired me to get into gear. :D Chapter 4 of this or the companion fic, For Love of a Jedi, should be out soon. Maybe this weekend! But don't hold me to that. :D 


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